At the present time, a multitude of devices are known for cleaning and polishing shoes which basically comprise a reservoir of a footwear conditioning substance, usually silicone or polish, which is applied to the interior of a sponge with which the user shines the surface of his shoes.
The applicator sponge, usually made of polyurethane, can be incorporated in a cover included in the shoe-cleaning device and directly impregnated with the polishing or dying substance of the shoes, as is the case of the container employed for this function, among others, which is described in the Utility Model Application ES 1038111 U.
In other cases, like those described in the Utility Model ES 0134686 U and the application ES 1006298 U, the sponge for application of the liquid substance is in the mouthpiece of the shoe-cleaning container. The silicone or the polish have access to the sponge through a valve which acts as dispenser means, but without obtaining an effective dosing of the substance. The disposition of the liquid is usually produced on the inside of the sponge and takes place during the shoe-cleaning operation which the user is carrying out, due to the pressure applied to the sponge itself, or, because the actual user presses manually on the area of the reservoir of polishing or dying substance.
This mechanism for application of the liquid on the surface of the shoe is relatively imprecise regarding the quantity of silicone or polish released from the reservoir to the sponge. Frequently it happens that, since the user can have no knowledge of the quantity of substance that is being dispensed, an excessive application is produced and this is not realized until the liquid reaches the surface of the sponge and is distributed over the shoe, in larger doses than those really necessary. At this point, the user discovers he has allowed too much liquid to flow into the sponge, due to the delay between the egress of the substance from the reservoir until it is observed on the surface of the shoe. In consequence, the shoe is drenched and the user is compelled to remove the surplus with a dry cloth.
In a word, this type of device is therefore generally very dirty in its application. Another problem resulting from this characteristic is that in such devices it is necessary to include a cover to avoid leakage or spillage of the liquid during its storage and it is recommended to locate them in a position stable in itself.
In the search for a solution to these problems, there are applicator devices of liquid or cream for cleaning footwear which incorporate a ball-shaped spongy element which acts in a roll-on fashion in order to achieve a completely uniform impregnation of the substance into the applicator and onto the shoe. A shoe cleaner of this kind, which is also fitted with sealing means with which the egress or not of liquid can be controlled, independently of the container being inclined on the shoe, is contemplated in the Patent of Invention ES 2165273.
As for the applicator element of the liquid, manufactured in sponge or foam, the presence is not known among the cleaning devices currently on the market of said applicator configured with a geometry such that it allows one to reach easily any area on the surface of the footwear which it is desired to clean, for which reason there are sometimes nooks and pleats in the shoe, according to the design thereof, which remain impossible to clean/dye/polish.
The majority of shoe cleaners have poor ergonomics as regards their manipulation when cleaning and polishing footwear, which combines with the aforesaid drawback concerning the user having no indicator on the device to inform him of the quantity of substance to be dispensed or that is still remaining to be applied. Clearly this last feature is possible in the classic products for cleaning shoes wherein the user must apply the cream or polish himself by means of a cloth, but not in the current devices of instantaneous application by impregnated sponge or foam, like the types which have been mentioned up to here.
Notwithstanding, it is known that there are some products in which it is indicated whether the reservoir of conditioning substance is empty, but this “end of use” indicator is fictitious because there is surely still some substance remaining outside the reservoir, in the dispensing valve or impregnating the applicator sponge.